The Connecticut Department of Labor bus will be coming to DNEC to provide a series of workshops. All are welcome.
There will be sign language interpreters.
If you have any questions or want to sign up please contact Brynn Hickey at 860-823-1898 X21 or bhickey@dnec.org.
Dates:
August 14
September 18
October 16
Topics:
Basic Word program skills
Job search strategies and interviewing techniques
Resume development
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
UPDATE: Support Groups will be running in the evening
Previously Both the Women's Support and Skills Group and the Caregivers' Support Services were being held in the morning, but people have requested evening groups instead.
Therefore, beginning July 24th, The Women’s Support and Skills Group will run the 1st and 3rd Thursdays from 6PM to 8PM.
The Caregivers Support Services will run from 6PM to 8PM, beginning July 31st, on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays.
Therefore, beginning July 24th, The Women’s Support and Skills Group will run the 1st and 3rd Thursdays from 6PM to 8PM.
The Caregivers Support Services will run from 6PM to 8PM, beginning July 31st, on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays.
Caregivers' pay at heart of lawsuit
Paralyzed man's independence at stake, it claims
By Alan Gustafson
Statesman Journal
Oregon
Paralyzed since he broke his neck in a 1996 diving accident, Clay Freeman depends on 11 machines and around-the-clock care to stay alive.
With assistance from in-home caregivers who took him to classes, Freeman graduated from Chemeketa Community College in 2006.
He also has relied on caregivers to take him to movies, on shopping trips and other outings, including school functions and sporting events for his five nieces and nephews.
Distressingly, the Salem quadriplegic has had a hard time retaining the caregivers who serve as his conduit to daily life. Some have burned out tending to his complex needs. Others have resigned to take less rigorous work that pays better.
When another caregiver called it quits early this month, Freeman, 34, was left with two of the five hands-on assistants he needs to monitor his machines and assist him with breathing, eating, toileting and more.
The caregiver crisis posed life-threatening complications for Freeman and crimped his federally mandated rights to live with as much independence as possible, according to a lawsuit brought against the state of Oregon on his behalf.
"Mr. Freeman is now at risk of being forced to live in a nursing facility 'an institutional setting' because he has been unable to hire and train three of the five personal attendants needed to meet his daily needs," states the lawsuit.
The federal civil-rights lawsuit asks that the state be required to provide enhanced caregiver compensation so that Freeman can hire the help he must have to deal with his daunting disabilities.
Under contract terms with the state, average pay for Oregon's 11,500 unionized home health care workers is slightly less than $10 per hour. To recruit and retain caregivers for Freeman, the state must pay at least $12.90 per hour, his lawyers say. The state also has to ensure that his caregivers get proper training, the lawsuit asserts.
A federal judge has issued a temporary ruling in Freeman's favor. A week ago, U.S. District Court Magistrate Thomas Coffin ordered the state to provide Freeman with five caregivers at the $12.90-per-hour rate. Coffin also directed the state to supply Freeman's caregivers with training provided by a licensed registered nurse.
Freeman's lawyers are asking for a permanent court order that would enforce the higher pay rate. Opposing lawyers are expected to make oral arguments before Coffin at a hearing this summer.
For Freeman, the temporary court order was a crucial victory, said one of his lawyers, Peter James of the Oregon Law Center in Salem.
"This is wonderful. I mean, this person's life was in danger, and I think the court recognized that and acted accordingly," he said.
Since the ruling, one additional caregiver has been enlisted to work with Freeman, pending completion of state hiring checks and other requirements. Efforts continue to land two more caregivers, bringing the total to five.
State officials declined comment on the suit Thursday.
"There's not a whole lot we can say except confirm that there is a suit," said Stephanie Soden, a spokeswoman for the Oregon Department of Justice, which is defending the state against the suit.
Named in the suit are the state Department of Human Services; Bruce Goldberg, human services director; and James Toews, head of the Seniors and People with Disabilities section of DHS.
Freeman's case casts a spotlight on a much-touted state program that provides Medicaid-eligible disabled people with in-home care. It has been praised for promoting independence for people who otherwise might be housed in nursing homes or other facilities.
Oregon was one of the first states to establish home-care services for federally supported Medicaid clients in 1981. Home care is a popular option for elderly and disabled clients because it allows them to stay in familiar settings and remain as independent as possible. Many clients pick their own caregivers.
Currently, about 11,000 Oregonians are enrolled in the program, Toews said Thursday.
"It's a huge part of Oregon's system; probably one of the biggest in-home programs in the country," he said. "The number of people that actually get almost 24-hour (per day) in-home care is a much, much, smaller number."
In past years, the innovative home-care system was plagued by revolving-door turnover rates among its work force. In 2000, Oregon voters supported a reform-minded ballot measure intended to improve the quality of care and accountability in the system.
Measure 99, passed by 63 percent of Oregon voters, amended the state constitution to create a Home Care Commission to set standards for caregivers, provide training and publish a registry of qualified workers.
The measure also gave workers the same rights as public employees to bargain collectively, except for the right to strike.
Determined to shed their status as an invisible work force, home-care workers voted to unionize in December 2001.
Since then, collective bargaining has brought modest pay raises for caregivers, along with modest reductions in turnover rates.
"We've gone through two or three collective bargaining rounds and now they get wages, benefits, workers compensation, a few days off," Toews said. "So it certainly has improved the turnover rates ... but it still is a work force that turns over pretty rapidly."
Freeman did not respond to a Statesman Journal request for an interview about his case.
But he asserted in a court document, dated June 3, that his own caregiver turnover problem began more than three years ago. He linked it to state cutbacks in pay for his lead caregiver "who then was paid $12.50 per hour" and additional pay cuts for his other attendants, who also formerly had received wages above the standard rate.
"This practice ceased about 31/2 years ago when my last grandfathered attendant left," Freeman asserted. "Since that time, the rate of pay has dropped to $9.90 per hour and I have been unable to find people to provide the level of care I need."
Amid caregiver scarcity, Freeman said he was unable to continue his course work at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, where he had been majoring in social sciences.
Freeman said that he made exhaustive but futile efforts to recruit caregivers, including "calling all of the people listed on the Home Care Commission's Web site and placing and renewing weekly an ad on
Craigslist and by advertising at Chemeketa and in the newspaper and at the employment office."
Recently, he stated, his situation became dire when another caregiver departed: "My third attendant left because she found a higher-paying job doing less work at a nursing home."
Freeman said it was hard for him to stave off fear as his two remaining caregivers put in long hours to meet his around-the-clock needs and monitor his extensive medical equipment, including a ventilator and a tracheotomy tube.
"My present situation is very precarious. I am experiencing a lot of anxiety and I fear that I will not be able to find sufficient caregivers without further financial aid and support from the state."
Cherishing his independence, Freeman remained adamant about staying in his own apartment.
"I am absolutely unwilling to go to an adult foster home or nursing facility, as I would lose my freedom to come and go as I please, I would lose my ability to choose my caregivers, I would lose my pets, and I believe that with my skin problems, general condition and depression, my overall health would significantly decline."
--
Steve Gold, The Disability Odyssey continues
Back issues of other Information Bulletins are available online at
http://www.stevegoldada.com
By Alan Gustafson
Statesman Journal
Oregon
Paralyzed since he broke his neck in a 1996 diving accident, Clay Freeman depends on 11 machines and around-the-clock care to stay alive.
With assistance from in-home caregivers who took him to classes, Freeman graduated from Chemeketa Community College in 2006.
He also has relied on caregivers to take him to movies, on shopping trips and other outings, including school functions and sporting events for his five nieces and nephews.
Distressingly, the Salem quadriplegic has had a hard time retaining the caregivers who serve as his conduit to daily life. Some have burned out tending to his complex needs. Others have resigned to take less rigorous work that pays better.
When another caregiver called it quits early this month, Freeman, 34, was left with two of the five hands-on assistants he needs to monitor his machines and assist him with breathing, eating, toileting and more.
The caregiver crisis posed life-threatening complications for Freeman and crimped his federally mandated rights to live with as much independence as possible, according to a lawsuit brought against the state of Oregon on his behalf.
"Mr. Freeman is now at risk of being forced to live in a nursing facility 'an institutional setting' because he has been unable to hire and train three of the five personal attendants needed to meet his daily needs," states the lawsuit.
The federal civil-rights lawsuit asks that the state be required to provide enhanced caregiver compensation so that Freeman can hire the help he must have to deal with his daunting disabilities.
Under contract terms with the state, average pay for Oregon's 11,500 unionized home health care workers is slightly less than $10 per hour. To recruit and retain caregivers for Freeman, the state must pay at least $12.90 per hour, his lawyers say. The state also has to ensure that his caregivers get proper training, the lawsuit asserts.
A federal judge has issued a temporary ruling in Freeman's favor. A week ago, U.S. District Court Magistrate Thomas Coffin ordered the state to provide Freeman with five caregivers at the $12.90-per-hour rate. Coffin also directed the state to supply Freeman's caregivers with training provided by a licensed registered nurse.
Freeman's lawyers are asking for a permanent court order that would enforce the higher pay rate. Opposing lawyers are expected to make oral arguments before Coffin at a hearing this summer.
For Freeman, the temporary court order was a crucial victory, said one of his lawyers, Peter James of the Oregon Law Center in Salem.
"This is wonderful. I mean, this person's life was in danger, and I think the court recognized that and acted accordingly," he said.
Since the ruling, one additional caregiver has been enlisted to work with Freeman, pending completion of state hiring checks and other requirements. Efforts continue to land two more caregivers, bringing the total to five.
State officials declined comment on the suit Thursday.
"There's not a whole lot we can say except confirm that there is a suit," said Stephanie Soden, a spokeswoman for the Oregon Department of Justice, which is defending the state against the suit.
Named in the suit are the state Department of Human Services; Bruce Goldberg, human services director; and James Toews, head of the Seniors and People with Disabilities section of DHS.
Freeman's case casts a spotlight on a much-touted state program that provides Medicaid-eligible disabled people with in-home care. It has been praised for promoting independence for people who otherwise might be housed in nursing homes or other facilities.
Oregon was one of the first states to establish home-care services for federally supported Medicaid clients in 1981. Home care is a popular option for elderly and disabled clients because it allows them to stay in familiar settings and remain as independent as possible. Many clients pick their own caregivers.
Currently, about 11,000 Oregonians are enrolled in the program, Toews said Thursday.
"It's a huge part of Oregon's system; probably one of the biggest in-home programs in the country," he said. "The number of people that actually get almost 24-hour (per day) in-home care is a much, much, smaller number."
In past years, the innovative home-care system was plagued by revolving-door turnover rates among its work force. In 2000, Oregon voters supported a reform-minded ballot measure intended to improve the quality of care and accountability in the system.
Measure 99, passed by 63 percent of Oregon voters, amended the state constitution to create a Home Care Commission to set standards for caregivers, provide training and publish a registry of qualified workers.
The measure also gave workers the same rights as public employees to bargain collectively, except for the right to strike.
Determined to shed their status as an invisible work force, home-care workers voted to unionize in December 2001.
Since then, collective bargaining has brought modest pay raises for caregivers, along with modest reductions in turnover rates.
"We've gone through two or three collective bargaining rounds and now they get wages, benefits, workers compensation, a few days off," Toews said. "So it certainly has improved the turnover rates ... but it still is a work force that turns over pretty rapidly."
Freeman did not respond to a Statesman Journal request for an interview about his case.
But he asserted in a court document, dated June 3, that his own caregiver turnover problem began more than three years ago. He linked it to state cutbacks in pay for his lead caregiver "who then was paid $12.50 per hour" and additional pay cuts for his other attendants, who also formerly had received wages above the standard rate.
"This practice ceased about 31/2 years ago when my last grandfathered attendant left," Freeman asserted. "Since that time, the rate of pay has dropped to $9.90 per hour and I have been unable to find people to provide the level of care I need."
Amid caregiver scarcity, Freeman said he was unable to continue his course work at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, where he had been majoring in social sciences.
Freeman said that he made exhaustive but futile efforts to recruit caregivers, including "calling all of the people listed on the Home Care Commission's Web site and placing and renewing weekly an ad on
Craigslist and by advertising at Chemeketa and in the newspaper and at the employment office."
Recently, he stated, his situation became dire when another caregiver departed: "My third attendant left because she found a higher-paying job doing less work at a nursing home."
Freeman said it was hard for him to stave off fear as his two remaining caregivers put in long hours to meet his around-the-clock needs and monitor his extensive medical equipment, including a ventilator and a tracheotomy tube.
"My present situation is very precarious. I am experiencing a lot of anxiety and I fear that I will not be able to find sufficient caregivers without further financial aid and support from the state."
Cherishing his independence, Freeman remained adamant about staying in his own apartment.
"I am absolutely unwilling to go to an adult foster home or nursing facility, as I would lose my freedom to come and go as I please, I would lose my ability to choose my caregivers, I would lose my pets, and I believe that with my skin problems, general condition and depression, my overall health would significantly decline."
--
Steve Gold, The Disability Odyssey continues
Back issues of other Information Bulletins are available online at
http://www.stevegoldada.com
Working with People with Downs Syndrome and Dementia
People with Downs Syndrome are experiencing increases in life expectancy however premature aging is not uncommon. According to the Department of Developmental Services, approximately 2,400 people in CT have Downs syndrome and dementia is a prominent concern as they age. In 2006 a reported 73% of people with Downs Syndrome who died had Alzheimer’s disease.
The REACH program is pleased to present a 2-hour training with Dr. Gerard Kerins on Downs Syndrome and Dementia.
Tuesday July 15, 2008 1:00 to 3:00
At the UConn Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
The Exchange
263 Farmington Ave
Farmington, CT
Dr. Gerard Kerins M.D., F.A.C.P.
A member of the CT Commission on Aging, Dr. Kerins is Section Chief of Geriatrics at the Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven. He holds faculty positions at both the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and Yale University School of Medicine.
He is a member of the State of Connecticut Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities Fatality Review Board and serves as a consultant to the Department of Developmental Services.
His clinical areas of interest and research include Alzheimer's disease care and the care of older adults with developmental disabilities.
Space is Limited
Please RSVP to Jennifer Gorman by 7/11/08 at:
Jennifer.Gorman@ct.gov
or (860) 424-5643
Presented by the REACH Program of the Aging Services Division
The REACH program is pleased to present a 2-hour training with Dr. Gerard Kerins on Downs Syndrome and Dementia.
Tuesday July 15, 2008 1:00 to 3:00
At the UConn Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
The Exchange
263 Farmington Ave
Farmington, CT
Dr. Gerard Kerins M.D., F.A.C.P.
A member of the CT Commission on Aging, Dr. Kerins is Section Chief of Geriatrics at the Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven. He holds faculty positions at both the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and Yale University School of Medicine.
He is a member of the State of Connecticut Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities Fatality Review Board and serves as a consultant to the Department of Developmental Services.
His clinical areas of interest and research include Alzheimer's disease care and the care of older adults with developmental disabilities.
Space is Limited
Please RSVP to Jennifer Gorman by 7/11/08 at:
Jennifer.Gorman@ct.gov
or (860) 424-5643
Presented by the REACH Program of the Aging Services Division
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Affordable Health Coverage for People Age 19 - 64
Today, Governor Rell announced the opening of applications in this first-of-its-kind initiative to bring access to affordable health coverage to uninsured adults from age 19 through 64.
For those of you who already have health insurance on your own but have contacted the Governor’s Office or the Department of Social Services because you believe the cost is unaffordable, you will see on the application that [they] will consider requests for exceptions to the statutory six-month waiting period. After [their] customer service center receives your quick-start application, you’ll be provided with the list of exceptions. The exceptions will include such factors as loss of employment, loss of HUSKY coverage and economic hardship. In the meantime, you have the option of attaching a separate sheet when you return the application, stating your current health insurance situation and cost. This will help facilitate the review process.
[The] customer service center is at 1-877-77-CT-OAK. Information is also available at www.charteroakhealthplan.com.
For those of you who already have health insurance on your own but have contacted the Governor’s Office or the Department of Social Services because you believe the cost is unaffordable, you will see on the application that [they] will consider requests for exceptions to the statutory six-month waiting period. After [their] customer service center receives your quick-start application, you’ll be provided with the list of exceptions. The exceptions will include such factors as loss of employment, loss of HUSKY coverage and economic hardship. In the meantime, you have the option of attaching a separate sheet when you return the application, stating your current health insurance situation and cost. This will help facilitate the review process.
[The] customer service center is at 1-877-77-CT-OAK. Information is also available at www.charteroakhealthplan.com.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Join the CT Tech Act Project's AT Advisory Council
If you are an Assistive Technology (AT) user
or a family member of
someone who uses AT
and
would like to volunteer and give input into the
programs that we offer to individuals with disabilities
throughout the state,
call to find out how you can join the Connecticut
Tech Act Project’s AT Advisory Council.
Call 860-424-4881
or a family member of
someone who uses AT
and
would like to volunteer and give input into the
programs that we offer to individuals with disabilities
throughout the state,
call to find out how you can join the Connecticut
Tech Act Project’s AT Advisory Council.
Call 860-424-4881
for more information
Sunday, June 8, 2008
DNEC SUPPORT GROUPS
DNEC believes that change starts with the individual. To that end we are adding two support groups: one for women who have been or are in an abusive situation; and one for caregivers who are in danger of possibly becoming abusive.
Women’s Support and Skills Group
Abuse comes in many forms. It can happen to anyone, any time, anywhere. It is a widespread problem. Everyone knows someone who has been or is being abused, but you may not know it is happening. This group is designed to help women to learn to prevent it from continuing.
Caregivers Support Services
Being a caregiver for a parent, spouse or child is difficult. Many times the pressure of trying to work and take care of someone else builds up and the caregiver can feel frustrated and angry. Although this is normal, unless the caregiver has support, there is a potential for abuse.
Sometimes the abuse is unintentional, the result of the caregiver being overwhelmed and not knowing where to turn for help. This group will offer valuable resources for caregivers, teach coping skills, self advocacy, and stress / anger management, as well as providing group support.
The Women’s Support and Skills Group will run the 1st and 3rd Thursdays from 10AM – Noon.
The Caregivers Support Services begins June 12th, from 10AM to Noon, on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays.
Women’s Support and Skills Group
Abuse comes in many forms. It can happen to anyone, any time, anywhere. It is a widespread problem. Everyone knows someone who has been or is being abused, but you may not know it is happening. This group is designed to help women to learn to prevent it from continuing.
Caregivers Support Services
Being a caregiver for a parent, spouse or child is difficult. Many times the pressure of trying to work and take care of someone else builds up and the caregiver can feel frustrated and angry. Although this is normal, unless the caregiver has support, there is a potential for abuse.
Sometimes the abuse is unintentional, the result of the caregiver being overwhelmed and not knowing where to turn for help. This group will offer valuable resources for caregivers, teach coping skills, self advocacy, and stress / anger management, as well as providing group support.
The Women’s Support and Skills Group will run the 1st and 3rd Thursdays from 10AM – Noon.
The Caregivers Support Services begins June 12th, from 10AM to Noon, on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays.
Recent VA News Releases
To view and download VA news releases, please visit the following
Internet address:
http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel
VA Begins Next Phase of Combat Vet Outreach
Calls to Ill or Injured Veterans Completed
WASHINGTON (May 30, 2008) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today it has completed making calls to veterans potentially identified as being ill or injured from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF-OIF), and will immediately begin targeting over 500,000 OEF-OIF veterans who have been discharged from active duty but have not contacted VA for health care.
"We promised to reach out to every OEF and OIF veteran to let them know we are here for them -- and we are making real progress in doing so," said Dr. James B. Peake, Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
A contractor-operated "Combat Veteran Call Center" is making the initial calls on behalf of VA. All potentially sick or injured veterans on VA's list received an offer to appoint a care manager to work with them if they do not have one already. VA care managers ensure veterans receive appropriate care and know about their VA benefits.
In the new phase, beginning today, veterans who have not accessed health care from VA will be called and informed of the benefits and services available to them. Additionally, military personnel received information about VA benefits when they left active duty, and the Department had sent every veteran a letter with this information after their discharge.
For five years after their discharge from the military, these combat veterans have special access to VA health care, including screening for signs of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. VA personnel have been deployed to the military's major medical centers to assist wounded service members and their families during the transition to civilian lives.
"VA is focused on getting these veterans the help they need and deserve," said Secretary Peake. "I expect these calls to make a real difference in many veterans' lives."
Internet address:
http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel
VA Begins Next Phase of Combat Vet Outreach
Calls to Ill or Injured Veterans Completed
WASHINGTON (May 30, 2008) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today it has completed making calls to veterans potentially identified as being ill or injured from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF-OIF), and will immediately begin targeting over 500,000 OEF-OIF veterans who have been discharged from active duty but have not contacted VA for health care.
"We promised to reach out to every OEF and OIF veteran to let them know we are here for them -- and we are making real progress in doing so," said Dr. James B. Peake, Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
A contractor-operated "Combat Veteran Call Center" is making the initial calls on behalf of VA. All potentially sick or injured veterans on VA's list received an offer to appoint a care manager to work with them if they do not have one already. VA care managers ensure veterans receive appropriate care and know about their VA benefits.
In the new phase, beginning today, veterans who have not accessed health care from VA will be called and informed of the benefits and services available to them. Additionally, military personnel received information about VA benefits when they left active duty, and the Department had sent every veteran a letter with this information after their discharge.
For five years after their discharge from the military, these combat veterans have special access to VA health care, including screening for signs of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. VA personnel have been deployed to the military's major medical centers to assist wounded service members and their families during the transition to civilian lives.
"VA is focused on getting these veterans the help they need and deserve," said Secretary Peake. "I expect these calls to make a real difference in many veterans' lives."
KEEP THE PROMISE
Keep the Promise Coalition
Golden Pen Opportunities!
KTP Advocates…GET YOUR PENS OUT!!
Okay Coalition members, here is a perfect opportunity to educate and inform the community about critical mental health issues … and you can qualify for a Golden Pen Award at the Annual Keep the Promise Awards ceremony in the Fall!
We encourage members to write letters to the editor in response to a powerful editorial from the Hartford Courant.
Please see Monday's Editorial from the Hartford Courant copied below.
PLEASE ACT NOW! Newspapers are normally willing to print responses or other letters within a few days. Be sure to reference the article you are writing in support of. You can go to the KTP web site for a state list of newspapers and to find tips for writing your letter at http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=9FCRwJ9s3C0uuCaWLfVUWFZzygS3IR8n or contact Cheri or Maura directly at: (800) 215-3021. Be sure to send KTP a copy if your letter is published in order to get credit for a Golden Pen Award. Get your ideas into the media TODAY!
Cheri BraggKTP Coordinator(860) 882-0236; (800) 215-3021
keepthepromise@namict.org
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=rauUld91602WMRSF2kfEJlZzygS3IR8n
Back To The Future
June 2, 2008
Connecticut officials had years ago promised to provide mentally ill patients with housing and community-based services to replace costly state psychiatric hospitals that were closing because they were draining the state's coffers.
Lawmakers largely broke their promise, forcing huge numbers of people with mental illness to languish in nursing homes and state prisons, sometimes under bad conditions. The state is now paying for its neglect.
Federal officials last year denied Connecticut $1 million in Medicaid reimbursements because mental health patients exceeded 50 percent of the population at several of the state's nursing homes. By law, nursing homes in which more than half the patients are mentally ill automatically lose their federal Medicaid funding and are reclassified as de facto psychiatric hospitals.
Connecticut expects to lose another $6.5 million in Medicaid reimbursements this year for the same reason. State officials also face a federal class-action lawsuit that accuses them of warehousing the mentally ill in nursing homes.
Had the state done what it promised long ago, it wouldn't be in this mess.
Advocates estimate that there are 3,700 mentally ill patients, most of them under 65, living in nursing homes. Many of them are capable of living in the community with some help. The best that Gov. M. Jodi Rell could do this year to alleviate the problem was offer $9.5 million in proposed budget adjustments over two years for additional community beds and improved screening for the mentally ill. She has dropped the proposal now that rapidly dwindling tax revenues have compelled her and the General Assembly to live with a "do-nothing" budget this year.
The irony is that it costs the state more to keep mental patients in nursing homes than it would to provide housing and community-based mental health programs.Without community housing, the state is resorting to the same expensive warehousing system it did away with over the last four decades.
Copyright © 2008, The Hartford Courant
Golden Pen Opportunities!
KTP Advocates…GET YOUR PENS OUT!!
Okay Coalition members, here is a perfect opportunity to educate and inform the community about critical mental health issues … and you can qualify for a Golden Pen Award at the Annual Keep the Promise Awards ceremony in the Fall!
We encourage members to write letters to the editor in response to a powerful editorial from the Hartford Courant.
Please see Monday's Editorial from the Hartford Courant copied below.
PLEASE ACT NOW! Newspapers are normally willing to print responses or other letters within a few days. Be sure to reference the article you are writing in support of. You can go to the KTP web site for a state list of newspapers and to find tips for writing your letter at http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=9FCRwJ9s3C0uuCaWLfVUWFZzygS3IR8n or contact Cheri or Maura directly at: (800) 215-3021. Be sure to send KTP a copy if your letter is published in order to get credit for a Golden Pen Award. Get your ideas into the media TODAY!
Cheri BraggKTP Coordinator(860) 882-0236; (800) 215-3021
keepthepromise@namict.org
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=rauUld91602WMRSF2kfEJlZzygS3IR8n
Back To The Future
June 2, 2008
Connecticut officials had years ago promised to provide mentally ill patients with housing and community-based services to replace costly state psychiatric hospitals that were closing because they were draining the state's coffers.
Lawmakers largely broke their promise, forcing huge numbers of people with mental illness to languish in nursing homes and state prisons, sometimes under bad conditions. The state is now paying for its neglect.
Federal officials last year denied Connecticut $1 million in Medicaid reimbursements because mental health patients exceeded 50 percent of the population at several of the state's nursing homes. By law, nursing homes in which more than half the patients are mentally ill automatically lose their federal Medicaid funding and are reclassified as de facto psychiatric hospitals.
Connecticut expects to lose another $6.5 million in Medicaid reimbursements this year for the same reason. State officials also face a federal class-action lawsuit that accuses them of warehousing the mentally ill in nursing homes.
Had the state done what it promised long ago, it wouldn't be in this mess.
Advocates estimate that there are 3,700 mentally ill patients, most of them under 65, living in nursing homes. Many of them are capable of living in the community with some help. The best that Gov. M. Jodi Rell could do this year to alleviate the problem was offer $9.5 million in proposed budget adjustments over two years for additional community beds and improved screening for the mentally ill. She has dropped the proposal now that rapidly dwindling tax revenues have compelled her and the General Assembly to live with a "do-nothing" budget this year.
The irony is that it costs the state more to keep mental patients in nursing homes than it would to provide housing and community-based mental health programs.Without community housing, the state is resorting to the same expensive warehousing system it did away with over the last four decades.
Copyright © 2008, The Hartford Courant
Workshop offered at CTWorks
DIRECT Workshop
Where you can learn about Disability related Information and Resources, to Educate yourself in Customizing your Transition to employment.
ADA
Contact your local CTWorks Center to register for this Workshop.
Schedule for the DIRECT workshops for June is:
Norwich CTWorks on 6/18
Danielson CTWorks on 6/23
Willimantic CTWorks on 6/24
New London CTWorks on 6/25 (this was Rescheduled from 6/26)
All workshops start at 2:30.
Accessible
Alternate
Dispute
Resolution
(ADR)
Alternate
Formats
Alternate
Methods
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Assistive
Technology Auxiliary Aids and Services Disability
And Technical
Assistance Centers
(DBTAC) Electronic and Information Technology Essential Job Functions Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC) Fundamental Alteration Individual
With a Disability Information Transaction Machines (ITM) Job
Coach Major Life Activity Natural Supports Qualified Individual with a Disability
Reasonable Accommodation Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers
(RRTC) Section 508 Supported Employment
Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) Teletypewriter Technology (TTY) Ticket to Work Title V of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973Undue Hardship Vocational Rehabilitation
Where you can learn about Disability related Information and Resources, to Educate yourself in Customizing your Transition to employment.
ADA
Contact your local CTWorks Center to register for this Workshop.
Schedule for the DIRECT workshops for June is:
Norwich CTWorks on 6/18
Danielson CTWorks on 6/23
Willimantic CTWorks on 6/24
New London CTWorks on 6/25 (this was Rescheduled from 6/26)
All workshops start at 2:30.
Accessible
Alternate
Dispute
Resolution
(ADR)
Alternate
Formats
Alternate
Methods
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Assistive
Technology Auxiliary Aids and Services Disability
And Technical
Assistance Centers
(DBTAC) Electronic and Information Technology Essential Job Functions Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC) Fundamental Alteration Individual
With a Disability Information Transaction Machines (ITM) Job
Coach Major Life Activity Natural Supports Qualified Individual with a Disability
Reasonable Accommodation Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers
(RRTC) Section 508 Supported Employment
Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) Teletypewriter Technology (TTY) Ticket to Work Title V of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973Undue Hardship Vocational Rehabilitation
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